No. 23 Clemson used 20 first-half points from Viktor Lakhin to blitz Carolina early and steadily pull away in the second half to deal the Tar Heels an 85-65 blowout defeat. It’s UNC’s largest loss of the season, fourth straight loss on the road and the team’s fifth in its last seven games.
Though the Tar Heels managed to keep pace for the first 10 minutes, the Tigers closed the first half on a 28-10 run, turning a UNC’s 23-21 into a 49-33 deficit. Lakhin did much of his damage from outside, as the six-foot-11 big man shot 4-4 on three-pointers and 8-11 overall on his way to 20 points in 20 minutes. As a team, Clemson shot 18-32 (56.3 percent) overall and 8-12 (75 percent) on threes. Though Carolina shot an efficient 15-30 overall in the half, the Tar Heels struggled to keep up from long distance, making just two threes.
The Tigers continued to pour it on in the second half, leading by as many as 26 points on their way to an easy victory. Clemson dominated the Tar Heels on the glass, as the size of Lakhin and Ian Schieffelin contributed to a 41-28 rebounding advantage.
The game saw head coach Hubert Davis tweak his starting lineup, adding in Jae’Lyn Withers in place of Ian Jackson to combat the size of the Tigers. Withers had not started a game since November. The graduate forward scored five points in just 16 minutes, while Drake Powell played 26 minutes off the bench. Powell has not started since January 21.
R.J. Davis led Carolina with 18 points while Seth Trimble added 12. Jackson once again struggled mightily, as the freshman star finished with just three points after a scoreless outing against Pittsburgh on Saturday. Ironically enough, Clemson’s Lakhin scored only two points in the second half to finish with 22 for the game.
The loss drops Carolina to 14-11 overall and 7-6 in ACC play. The Tar Heels will be back in action when they visit Syracuse on Saturday night at 6 p.m.
Featured image via Associated Press/Scott Kinser
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Clemson Starts Hot, Runs Away From Hapless UNC Men’s Basketball Chapelboro.com.
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